lecture 5 - feeding stratagies Flashcards
4 types of feeding strategies
suspension/ filter feeders
fluid feeders
substrate feeders
bulk feeders
examples of suspension feeders
baleen whales, flamingos, sponges, spiders
how do filter feeders feed
some sort of apparatus that filters out water and air
examples of fluid feeders
mosquitos, honey bees, bats, humming birds
how do fluid feeders feed
suck nutrients from living hosts - many are parasites
examples of substrate feeders
caterpillars, maggots
how do substrate feeders feed
they live on their food
examples of bulk feeders
pythons, humans
how do bulk feeders feed
they eat relatively large pieces of food
challenges herbivores have to overcome
plant defences - physical, chemical, other, acquire the plant material, digest it
what adaptations do plants have to prevent being eaten
spikes, poison chemical compounds, bodyguards
herbivores adaptations to deal with physical plant defences
hardened tongue and lips
agility to avoid thorns
specialised teeth
many are arthropods
how herbivores have adapted to deal with plant chemicals
chemical breakdown by novel pathways
alter feeding patterns only eat what they can deal with
toxins are used to make the animal itself toxic (monarch butterflies)
other adaptations herbivores have
constantly growing and replacing teeth
grinds against plants
digestion adaptations
need specialised bacteria and protists in their gut to digest cellulose
eating faeces
regurgitating food
smaller intestines - longer digestion
